News & Events: Westchester Chapter (Click to return to the Westchester Chapter's Page)

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On this page you will find the latest news and events from our Westchester Chapter. Click on each event for more details.


Upcoming Meeting:

May 5, 2012
Weschester Chapter Meeting and Presentation

Recent Meetings:

April 14, 2012
April Chapter Meeting and Presentation

March 3, 2012
March Chapter Meeting

February 4, 2012
February Chapter Meeting: Annual Film Screening & Discussion

December 3, 2011
December Chapter Meeting

November 5, 2011
November Chapter Meeting

October 1, 2011:
October Chapter Meeting


September 10, 2011:

September Chapter Meeting

June 4, 2011:
June Chapter Meeting

May 7, 2011:
May Chapter Meeting

March 26, 2011:
Met Chapter Conference: “Expanding and Sustaining a Successful Clinical Practice in the 21st Century”

March 5, 2011:
March Chapter Meeting

February 12, 2011:
February Chapter Meeting

January 08, 2011:
January Chapter Meeting
 

 Letter to County Executive and Legislators on the Closing of 5 Mental Health Clinics


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May Chapter Meeting
Please join us for our monthly Educational Presentation and Chapter Meeting.

TOPIC: "Hungry for Ecstasy: Trauma, the Brain, and The Influence of the Sixties"

SPEAKER: Sharon Farber, Ph.D., MSW

DATE: 5/5/12

PLACE: The Mental Health Association, 29 Sterling Avenue, White Plains, NY

TIME: 9:00 Practice Meetings

10:00 Networking and Refreshments

10:15 Chapter Business Meeting

10:45-Noon Presentation

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DESCRIPTION

Influenced by the sixties, there is a hunger today for ecstatic experience occurring under the radar. Little scientific attention has been paid to ecstasy. Using neuroscientific findings, a theory of ecstasy as a dissociated state will be formulated, including the more common mystical states as well as the more frenzied ecstatic states.

Today’s ecstasy seekers push to and beyond their physical and mental limits, to the darkest side of human experience, crossing the borders between health and illness, life and death, with little regard to what is on the other side.

Although the ways of attaining ecstasy may differ--religion, sex, self-inflicted pain and injury, drugs, music, the essential experience is the same. In ecstatic frenzies, human beings have committed the most inhuman of acts, including war, the Holocaust, terrorism, rape, murder, cannibalism, and suicide bombings. This presentation will explore just what ecstasy is, its relationship to out-of-body and near-death experiences, how and why so many are looking for it, the subjective experience of ecstasy, and the relationship of severe trauma to the quest for ecstasy.

SPEAKER

Sharon K. Farber is the author of "When the Body is the Target: Self-Harm, Pain and Traumatic Attachments" and "Hungry for Ecstasy: Trauma, the Brain, and the Influence of the Sixties." Trained in psychoanalysis, child/adolescent treatment and eating disorders, Sharon received her Ph.D. in clinical social work from NYU. She maintains an active private practice along with teaching, writing, training, lecturing and consulting here and abroad.

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For more information, please contact:

Michael Altshuler, LCSW, CGP

Chair, Education Committee

Office: (914) 478-7952

Web: altshulermichael@gmail.com

 

April Chapter Meeting
TOPIC: "The Rope Dialogue: Exploring the Psychobiology of Relational Engagement"

SPEAKER: Terry Nathanson, LCSW

DATE: Saturday, April 14th, 2012

PLACE: The Mental Health Association, 29 Sterling Ave., White Plains, NY

TIME 9:00 Practice Meetings

10:00 Refreshments and Networking

10:15 Chapter Business Meeting

10:45-Noon Presentation

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DESCRIPTION

Psychobiological research studying the social brain has transformed our understanding of psychotherapy’s power and effectiveness. To be of value, these findings need to be grounded in clinical applications. This presentation provides an opportunity to examine, discuss and experientially explore how psychotherapy re-shapes the architecture of the brain through the intentionality we embody with our clients during treatment.

Terry will introduce a right brain, "bottom-up" training modality he developed for psychotherapists called "The Rope Dialogue." Exploring the therapeutic relationship through the lens of "dyadic rhythm," this simple approach directly accesses implicit relational schemas while bringing new styles of relating into explicit awareness.

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SPEAKER

Terry Nathanson, LCSW has been a practitioner of neuro-affective models of treatment for over 25 years. He integrates Gestalt, Internal Family Systems, trauma based approaches and contemplative practices. Terry has integrated the work of Dr’s. Allan Shore, Stephen Porges, Daniel Siegel and Stan Tatkin, psychobiological pioneers in his neuro-affective workshops and group work with therapists and clients.

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For more information, please contact: Michael Altshuler, LC

March Chapter Meeting 
PRESENTATION
3/3/12
TIME: 9:00 AM Practice Groups Meet
        10:00 Refreshments and Networking
        10:15 Business Meeting
        10:45 Speaker
PLACE: The Mental Health Assoc., 29 Sterling Ave., White Plains, NY

SPEAKER
Judith Schweiger Levy, Ph.D.,

TITLE
The Impossible Bond: Being a Psychotherapist-Parent of a Difficult Child 

TOPIC
Parenting a difficult child can be painful and burdensome to most adults.  It challenges the parent to deal with intense loss, disappointment, helplessness, anger, and compromise at various developmental phases.  The experience is often colored by chronic shame, guilt, and anxiety.  While many therapists have suffered the anguish of parenting a dysfunctional child, this issue is rarely discussed openly.  It is often treated as a private, even secret matter.  In this presentation I intend to discuss the interlinked effects on therapists’ personal and professional lives when they find themselves to be parents of troubled children, and to describe some of the paradoxes inherent in maintaining these dual roles. My talk is the result of a project in which I interviewed twenty-one psychoanalytically trained clinicians who defined themselves as parents of difficult children.

BIO
Judith Schweiger Levy, Ph.D., has been in private practice as a clinical psychologist for 30 years in Westchester and NYC.  A graduate of the NYU Postdoctoral Program, she is on the Teaching and Supervising Faculty of the Westchester Center for the Study of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. 


February Chapter Meeting
The Westchester Chapter of the NYS Clinical Society invites you to join us for our
Annual Film Screening & Discussion.
Saturday February 4, 2012
TIME: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
MOVIE: Passion Fish
MODERATOR: Jackie Mann, LCSW
PLACE: The Mental Health Association, 29 Sterling Ave., White Plains, NY
Please note: Practice groups will not meet today.  They will resume on March 3rd.
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The Movie
Passion Fish is a subtle and warmly appealing study of transformation and healing.  Written, directed and edited by John Sayles, the movie tells the story of May-Alice, a successful soap opera star, who returns home to Louisiana to recover from an accident that has left her permanently paralyzed.  The film traces May-Alice's initial descent into bitterness and eventual acceptance of her fate in the context of her relationship with Chantelle, her strong and sympathetic nurse/helpmate, who struggles with troubles of her own. 
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Our Moderator
Jackie Mann, an experienced psychoanalyst and clinician, has been inspired by film and its relevance to psychotherapy throughout her career.  She enjoys exploring the role of trauma and its connection to intrapsychic, interpersonal and cultural struggles.

 

December Chapter Meeting
Saturday December 3, 2011, NYSSCSW-Westchester Chapter General Meeting
TIME: 9:00 AM Practice Groups Meet
        10:00 Refreshments and Networking
        10:15 Business Meeting
        10:40 Speaker
PLACE: The Mental Health Assoc., 29 Sterling Ave., White Plains, NY

SPEAKER:
Hilary Ryglewicz, LCSW
TITLE:
“Attachment, Secure and Insecure: The Promise and Perils of Adult Relationships”

ABSTRACT

The emotional tasks of making and maintaining our most important adult relationships are multiple, unremitting, daunting and profound.  Our need for the ‘secure base’ continues to be pressing throughout our lives.  Yet the risks we run--in choosing our significant others, in exposing ourselves to intimacy, in trying to offer and obtain love—are substantial.  How we manage loss, rupture and disappointment in our adult attachments is a major theme of therapy and a major challenge of adult life.  This presentation will address some of the issues of adult attachment through clinical and fictional case material.

BIO

Hilary Ryglewicz, LCSW is a psychotherapist with over 30 years clinical experience, whose background includes both psychodynamic and cognitive approaches.  Ms. Ryglewicz is a supervisor and faculty member of the Couples Program of the Training Institute for Mental Health in New York City.  She maintains a private practice with individuals and couples in Manhattan and in Nyack.


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November Chapter Meeting
Saturday November 5, 2011, NYSSCSW-Westchester Chapter General Meeting
TIME: 9:00 AM Practice Groups Meet
        10:00 Refreshments and Networking
        10:15 Business Meeting
        10:40 Speaker
PLACE: The Mental Health Assoc., 29 Sterling Ave., White Plains, NY

SPEAKER: Jennie Kramer, MSW, LCSW
TITLE: “Eating Disorders as Metaphor: Treatment That Has Little to Do With Food”

ABSTRACT
The prevalence and persistence of eating disorders in young people demands that we take another look at the effectiveness of treatment at every level of care. This presentation aims to show that eating disorders are addictive in nature, but not by the usual criteria for addiction commonly ascribed to other addictions. Effective treatment includes alternative perspectives and methods such as cognitive narratives, art therapy, appropriate family education and integration, and peer support. Ultimately, optimal treatment works best within the paradigm of eating disorders as metaphors. To be effective, clinicians must acknowledge the important stories these disorders tell.

BIO
Jennie Kramer, MSW, LCSW is a psychotherapist
specializing in the treatment of Eating Disorders. She is Founder and Director of Metro Behavioral Health Associates in Scarsdale and NYC, which offers individual, family and group therapy, nutritional counseling, medication management and targeted Intensive Outpatient Programs specifically for the treatment of eating disorders.


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October Chapter Meeting
Saturday October 1, 2011, NYSSCSW-Westchester Chapter General Meeting
TIME: 9:00 AM Practice Groups Meet
        10:00 Refreshments and Networking
        10:15 Business Meeting
        10:40 Speaker
PLACE: The Mental Health Assoc., 29 Sterling Ave., White Plains, NY
SPEAKER: Rhona Engels, LCSW, ACSW
TITLE: “Mistake or Opportunity: Choice Points in Psychotherapy”

 

DESCRIPTION: Whichever approach or theoretical perspective we clinicians may hold, it is in the nature of the psychotherapy process to make what we consider to be “mistakes.” This may negatively affect our image of ourselves and prevent us from talking openly about these mistakes with colleagues and patients. In this presentation I will use several events that occurred over the course of a long-term therapeutic relationship as a catalyst for attendees to share instances of mistakes in their own practices, and to examine if/how they became therapeutic opportunities. Together, we will discuss what constitutes a mistake, what constitutes an opportunity, and how we can define what it is to be a “good enough” therapist.

 

BIO: Rhona Engels, LCSW, ACSW has been in private practice in NYC for 27 years, working with individuals, couples and groups as well as providing individual and group supervision. She has taught in the graduate School of Social Work at New York University, at the Fifth Avenue Institute and at the Karen Horney Institute. She has published frequently in clinical journals and led many workshops, all providing her with extensive experience in making mistakes and trying to transform them into therapeutic opportunities.

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September Chapter Meeting
SPEAKER:       
Judith Stein, PhD., LMSW
TITLE:  
“Children of Divorce: An Exploration of Family Dynamics, Child Development and Effective Parenting”

DESCRIPTION:
This presentation will examine what clinicians need to know to help divorced or divorcing parents increase emotional resiliency in children who are at risk due to the adverse consequences of divorce.  Focusing on the individual, systemic and social-structural level, we will explore various negative family dynamics including common pitfalls for parents and the mitigating factors that reduce these effects and foster resiliency.  The impact of different parenting plans on children will also be discussed, particularly with regard to developmental and special needs concerns.  Finally, the role of the Child Specialist in Collaborative Practice will be explained, including the assessment of children, working with parents, and working as a team. 

BIO: 
Dr. Judith Stein is a psychotherapist in private practice in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Westchester.  She specializes in eating disorders, mood disorders & anxiety disorders.  She is also a Family and Divorce Mediator, as well as a Divorce Coach and Child Specialist with the New York Association for Collaborative Professionals.

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June Chapter Meeting
Saturday, June 4, 2011, NYSSCSW-Westchester Chapter General Meeting 
TIME: 9:00 AM   Groups Meet
        10:00   Refreshments and Networking
        10:15   Business Meeting
        10:40   Speaker - Steven A. Weisblatt, MD 
PLACE: The Mental Health Assoc., 29 Sterling Ave., White Plains, NY
TITLE: “Avoiding Diagnostic Deficit Disorder: The Accurate Assessment and Treatment of Sub-Syndromal Mood Disorders”

     Often patients in therapy do not benefit maximally, and continue to not function to their best potential, due to a co-morbid, unrecognized, misdiagnosed or mistreated biochemical imbalance.  Clinicians misdiagnose adults with full spectrum bipolar disorder nearly 70% of the time.  Usually they incorrectly diagnose and treat the patient for “depression.”  The misdiagnosis rates are higher in children, seniors and people with organic brain disease.  This high rate of misdiagnosis also does not include the rate of mis-medication, which is higher yet.  In this presentation we will review the symptoms (often obvious and occasionally subtle) that promote making a correct diagnosis and the medications that might be best used for treatment. We will also review how to distinguish between palliation of symptoms versus treatment of a disorder to remission.

     Dr. Steve Weisblatt is currently Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Downstate Medical Center.  In addition to being the author of the former "Clinician's Corner" column in Bipolar Magazine, he has spoken widely in the US, Canada and Europe on the subject of accurate diagnosis and effective treatments for patients with mood disorders.  Currently, Steve is in private practice with offices in New Rochelle, NY and Pocono Lake, PA. 


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 May Chapter Meeting
Saturday, March 7, 2011, NYSSCSW-Westchester Chapter General Meeting
Time: 9:00 AM – Noon

Agenda: 9:00 AM Committees Meet
           10:00 AM Refreshments and Networking
            10:15 AM Business Meeting
            10:45 AM Speaker: Tamara Roode, LMSW

Title: Do’s and Don’ts of Working with Clients Living with Domestic Violence: Guidelines for Clinicians.

Location: Mental Health Association, 29 Sterling Ave., White Plains, NY  10606


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Met Chapter Conference – Open to all chapters
“Expanding and Sustaining a Successful Clinical Practice in the 21st Century”
For Members Only!
WHEN: Saturday, March 26, 2011
 TIME: 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
WHERE: Nightingale-Bamford
             School, 20 East 92nd St.

Registration/Refreshments – 9 am
Plenary Session – 9:30 am

Essential Marketing Skills to Build Your Practice – Vikram Rajan

Workshop #1:
Understanding the Legal Requirements for a Secure Clinical Practice – Michelle Cuevas

 Workshop #2:
Using the Internet in Your Private Practice: Technical and Ethical Considerations – Craig Sloane

Workshop #3:
Building Your Practice by Leading Professional Workshops – Phyllis Mervis

Workshop #4:
Making Your Professional Voice Heard – Moderator: Libby Kessman
(a) Turning Your Ideas into Books for General Consumers – Mary-Ellen Siegel
(b) Expanding Your Practice by Writing for Mass Media - Sheri Heller
(c) Growing Your Private Practice Through Blogging – Leslie Zeigler

Workshop #5:
Practice-Building Fundamentals: Tried and True Strategies That Work – Lynne Spevack

 Workshop #6:
A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing for Professional Journals – Roberta Ann Shechter

More information to follow – to receive a Registration Form by return e-mail, contact marciako@verizon.net.

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March Chapter Meeting
Saturday, March 5, 2011, NYSSCSW-Westchester Chapter General Meeting
Time: 9:00 AM – Noon
Agenda: 9:00 AM Committees Meet 
            10:00 AM Refreshments and Networking
            10:15 AM Business Meeting
            10:45 AM Speaker: Stewart Crane, LCSW 
                           “Walking the Tightrope: Balance and Dissociation in the Psychotherapy of Sexually Abused Men.”
Location: Mental Health Association, 29 Sterling Ave., White Plains, NY  10606

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February Chapter Meeting
(*RESCHEDULED)
Saturday, February 12, 2011, NYSSCSW-Westchester Chapter General Meeting
Time: 9:00 AM – Noon
Agenda: Movie Screening of “Happy-Go-Lucky” directed by Mike Leigh.  Jackie Mann will facilitate a discussion on the capacity to master difficult relationships. Please note that renting and reviewing this film ahead of time would be a great asset to you and the meeting!
Location: Mental Health Association, 29 Sterling Ave., White Plains, NY  10606
(Note: there will be no practice group meetings.)

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January Chapter Meeting
Saturday, January 8, 2011, NYSSCSW-Westchester Chapter General Meeting
            9:00 AM Committees Meet
          10:00      Refreshments and Networking
          10:15      Business Meeting
          10:45      Speaker
 Location: Mental Health Association, 29 Sterling Ave., White Plains, NY  10606

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